Palm Beach homes for sale: Designer's lakeside condo on Ibis Isle is pristine, comfortable
A longtime visitor to the island from Nashville, Tennessee, interior designer L. Jonathan Savage says decorating the pool pavilion at the Kips Bay Decorator Show House Palm Beach in 2020 was the catalyst that prompted the decision to establish a home and office in Palm Beach.
“After the show house, I ended up with some great projects on the island and in West Palm Beach, so it made sense to invest here,” Savage says.
In February 2021, Savage and his partner, health care executive Bradley Wensel, bought Condominium No. 8, a lakeview unit in Tower Vallandry, 2150 Ibis Isle Road, on the South End’s Ibis Isle. Savage then designed a top-to-bottom update of the apartment.
The provenance of the contemporary-style building, completed in 1969, was a prime attraction, Savage explains.
“I chose it because the building was designed by (the late) Eugene Lawrence, and I’m a fan of his. Also, I felt that the building’s architectural style was a great complement to the interiors I wanted to create.”
A prolific Palm Beach architect, Clifford Eugene “Gene” Lawrence Jr. opened his office, The Lawrence Group Architects, at 205 Worth Ave. in 1965, and worked in that building until his retirement in 2013, the year he died at 79. Over the years, he served on the Town’s Architectural Review Commission, the Planning and Zoning Commission and the Code Enforcement Board.
Ibis Isle in Palm Beach offers residents water views, sense of privacy
In addition to the architecture, Savage lists other reasons why Tower Vallandry appealed to him, including Ibis Isle’s sense of privacy. A tree-lined road over the Intracoastal Waterway connects the small island — with its mix of condominium buildings and houses — to the rest of Palm Beach, directly across from Phipps Ocean Park.
“It has wonderful water views and easy access to the beach, which I take advantage of often with our dog, Artie, a Lagotto Romagnolo,” Savage explains.
He and Wensel have enjoyed their second-floor condo on the southeast corner of the building, but now they are looking for a home with a pool and a yard for Artie, Savage adds.
As such, they’ve listed the two-bedroom, two-bath unit — with 1,949 square feet of interior living space and a 600-square-foot balcony — through Compass Florida agent Elizabeth DeWoody. The condo is priced at $3.495 million, with the furniture available separately. The apartment will be sold with covered parking for one car.
Tower Vallandry stands on the northwest corner of Ibis Isle and has architecture identical to Tower Vallencay, its twin next door.
Comprising six floors with 22 units, Tower Vallandry offers residents the use of two pools. Services include onsite building maintenance and door staff.
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Savage, who heads Savage Interior Design, looked at the apartment as a blank slate.
“I gutted it,” Jonathan says. “I used architect David Lawrence, Eugene’s son.”
The apartment’s front door opens to a foyer and hallway leading past the kitchen to the dining area and adjacent living room, with the two bedroom suites to either side. All the major rooms have floor-to-ceiling sliding-glass doors that access the wraparound balcony, which captures views of the pool and the waterway.
Walls have been hand-finished with Venetian plaster, and the floors throughout are Italian marble. Savage gave the foyer wall a nature theme and customized a wallcovering from MJ Atelier with a limited palette.
“I did a Palm Beach flora and fauna motif that includes an ibis bird,” Savage explains. “Our apartment was created using a spa-like color scheme in soft neutrals.”
Rooms throughout have shallow coffered ceilings enhanced by hidden LED lighting.
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The bar in the living room features Downsview Kitchen high-gloss lacquered cabinetry.
The dining room also has built-ins from the same manufacturer and include a “wine column” with cabinetry for displaying china.
“In the kitchen, I have silverleaf Phillip Jeffries wallcovering (and) Downsview Kitchen cabinetry with a rift-sawn white-oak finish. Gaggenau stainless-steel appliances include the fridge, dishwasher, teppanyaki, an induction cooktop, a coffee maker, a combination oven/microwave, and a warming drawer,” he says. “The backsplash and countertops are onyx, and there are built-ins in the pantry.”
Both bedrooms in Palm Beach condo have bold ceiling colors
Both bedrooms serve as main suites. One is topped by a deep-mauve ceiling and faces the pool to the east. The room includes a work-from-home area.
The bedroom’s en suite bathroom has a taupe color scheme and features a chocolate-brown sink set in a Zebrino marble countertop. The walls in the walk-in shower are covered in marble slabs.
The other bedroom, facing south, features a dramatic black-painted ceiling. Its bathroom has double vanities with a striated quartzite top and an oversized walk-in shower finished with Dekton, a composite made from fused minerals. A Dior gray graphic wallpaper covers the walls.
Overall, the apartment has suited Savage’s lifestyle. The main living area is a good example.
“It’s a perfect spot after a long day at the beach or to snuggle up with your favorite cocktail,” he says. “This space is not only contemporary but also comfortable.”
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To see more photos of Unit 8 in Palm Beach's Tower Vallandry, 2150 Ibis Isle Road, click on the photo gallery at the top of this page.
This article originally appeared on Palm Beach Daily News: On the market: Designer's pristine but comfortable condo in Palm Beach
